ROUNDHOUSE ROUNDUP: SATURDAY

The Fourth Floor

Resurrecting medical marijuana: Gov. Bill Richardson said Friday he
has begun meeting with lawmakers in an effort to resurrect a medical
marijuana bill, which the House narrowly defeated Thursday night.

"I think it's important that we pass it," Richardson
said.

By midday Friday, he said he had talked "one-on-one with at least five
House members" in an effort to get them to change their votes.

In a dramatic sequence of events, the bill failed when the House vote
tied at 33-33 - over protests by Rep. Al Park, D-Albuquerque, who had
rushed into the chamber during the voting, that he had pushed his
"yes" button and it wasn't recorded.

The bill was reconsidered almost immediately, and lost again when 33
lawmakers voted for it and 36 against it.

The Senate voted 34-7 for the bill earlier in the session.